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Lantern fly nymph infestation #869849

Asked May 23, 2024, 8:06 PM EDT

Hello, over the past week in Reisterstown, I have noticed a ton of these black and white bugs on newly sprouting vegetation. I believe these are lantern fly nymphs and need help figuring out how to mitigate them and protect my garden.

Baltimore County Maryland

Expert Response

Yes, these do look like spotted lanternfly nymphs. They are emerging and becoming noticeable in many Maryland counties now. You can kill those you can manage to catch (since they run away and jump readily), but otherwise you do not need to take much action since they are so widespread in our region by now that killing a few will not make much difference in overall population size. They will not cause serious harm to garden plants, with few exceptions (grape vines and hops, mostly on commercial farms), so do not warrant any further action (like use of an insecticide). 

Christa

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